My Russet Colored World
by Breazy7
Summary: Dilemmas are always hard to sort out! And even more so when Bella has two gorgeous supernatural men both willing to kill to be with her. But with the final battle with Victoria over and an injured Jake on her mind, Bella must decided. Who will she choose?
1. Chapter 1: Torn

Torn

"If you don't stop worrying so much, you'll have those lines permanently embedded into your forehead!"

Charlie expressed his concern just a tad more harshly than I would have liked at that moment. I was absolutely sick with worry over Jacob. I knew this was silly; Carlisle was taking great care to make sure the stubborn and too-proud werewolf's bones were set correctly to heal properly. And knowing Jacob, he would be fully alert and complaining about the turn of events in no time.

I breathed deeply, a heavy sigh escaping from my lungs.

"I know it's silly. Jake is tough. He'll pull through in no time I'm sure." These words took on a different meaning to me than I'm sure they did as Charlie absorbed them.

He grunted in response. "That's a fact. The Black family has a good set of genes in their pool." He had _no _idea. His voice then grew gruffer. "You understand now though why you are forbidden to ride that infernal two-wheeled death trap of yours. And so help me if you do, you'll—"

"Dad, calm down. I have no intentions of riding the motorcycle again. I'm going to talk to Jake about selling it as soon as he's able to."

Seeming pleased with this response, he continued more softly, "Listen, Bells, I just don't want you getting yourself sick with this. You know that won't do anyone any sort of good. Especially Jacob. He wouldn't want you to sit here, poking at your food, starving yourself, and sulking at his expense." I looked down at my plate full of the spaghetti I had made for dinner, actually seeing it for the first time, so lost in thought. When _was_ the last time I had eaten? I couldn't remember. With freezing to death last night in that wind-blown tent and the inevitable vampire attack this morning, food had honestly been the furthest thing from my mind. Though my stomach suddenly gave a loud complaint, which Charlie heaved a sigh over. "Give it a day or two," he continued, "and then you can go see him. I don't want you down there pestering Billy while he's out cold."

I nodded slowly in response.

"Until then, _eat_."

I sighed again and stabbed a twisted fork-full of spaghetti, lifting it into my waiting mouth.

After a much needed shower and teeth brushing, I headed quickly to my bedroom. It was still early, but the day's events had completely drained me and I longed for the comfort of my old quilt—of his cool arms around me.

As I entered my room and closed the door quietly behind me, I saw him sprawled casually across my bed; my angel in waiting. His face was no longer hard and worried; an expression I had grown quite accustomed to over the last several days. It helped to relax me immediately. The relief that it was all over—that Victoria was _finally_ gone—radiated from his perfect face. I smiled weakly at him.

I crossed my room and flopped down onto the bed as Edward quickly pulled me into his strong, icy embrace. He leaned down and kissed my hair as I curled up against his marble chest. We lay there like that momentarily, not uttering a word.

"He _will_ be alright, Bella," Edward finally broke the silence.

"I know, I know," I insisted.

"You worry too much."

"Tell me something I don't know…" I mumbled under my breath.

"Jacob is awake."

"What?" I snapped my head up to look him in the eyes, the liquid gold smoldering there, but faded slightly at the expense of exerting so much strength today.

"You said to tell you something you didn't know," he chuckled.

"How long has he been awake for?"

"Only an hour or so. Carlisle was just getting back from La Push when I was leaving. He said he's still pretty heavily drugged with pain meds and sort of out of it, but awake nonetheless." Edward looked away then, temporarily lost in thought. The corners of his lips curled up into a slight smile.

"What is it?" I questioned, confused.

"It's just that when Carlisle told him he wasn't allowed to phase until he gave him the okay, Jacob threw an incoherent fit. I found the replay of it in Carlisle's mind quite funny to watch, all drugged up on large amounts of Vicodin."

"Yes," I breathed through clenched teeth, "hilarious."

"Oh, give it a rest, Bella." Edward rolled his eyes, only to bring them back to meet my gaze. He cupped the right side of my face in his left hand and pulled me gently closer to his wintry lips. He paused for a brief second an inch away and exhaled into my slightly open mouth. The cold, sweet scent of his breath knocked mine out of me and I felt dizzy. Suddenly all annoyance departed my now limp body. He leaned in the other inch and brushed his lips softly to mine, sending a shiver down my spine. I pressed my lips back to his more urgently, sliding my right hand up his chest and around his neck, holding him there.

A few minutes passed and I started feeling light headed. I finally forced myself, extremely unwillingly, to pull away and attempt to breathe normally again. I looked down at the collar of his shirt, fidgeting with one of the buttons there. He removed his hand from my cheek and curled his fingers around mine, stopping my action.

"What is it?" I could feel his eyes on me, no doubt filled with some sort of irrational concern, but I refused to meet his gaze and instead stared at his perfectly smooth hand around mine.

"I want to go see him, Edward." Then I shook my head before he could speak to protest. "I _need_ to go see him."

"Not now, Bella, love," he cooed, trying to sound completely comforting but I recognized the edge of tension in his words; something I was sure only I could do paying careful attention. "Let him rest for now and work off the medication. He wouldn't be very coherent to talk to at the moment anyway."

"I know, it's just…"

He reached up and placed his forefinger under my chin, tilting my head up to meet his eyes again. The concern was there, just like I had suspected. "I know, sweetheart, but waiting until the morning is really the best for everyone right now, and you need your rest as much as he does."

I choked back a laugh as my eyes looked away from his magnetic stare. "That's funny, because the last time I checked I hadn't done much but cause problems for everyone. I didn't even help in the fight—not really anyway. I'm pretty sure I'm the last person anyone should be worrying about right now."

"Enough," was all he managed to say as he pulled my head to rest against his neck, stroking my hair. He was right though. I was extremely exhausted and I knew I should sleep, but after what had happened today before the newborns descended…what happened between Jacob and I in that small clearing in front of our make-shift campsite…what happened to my heart when his unfamiliar warm lips pressed so longingly and urgent against mine…

I shook my head abruptly.

"What are you thinking, love?" Edward continued to stroke my hair gently.

"Just recalling what a horrible monster I am for hurting the ones I love all the time."

His body, if possible, stiffened more against my side. "I told you I'm not holding anything against you for doing what you did, Bella. I mean that."

Of course he wasn't. I could do no wrong, ever. I felt like I would always be forgiven by him, no matter how much I hurt him. But the truth was I _needed_ to talk to Jacob so much more now than I ever would have otherwise. That brief moment in the clearing where it felt like our bodies had become one and I could feel nothing else but him everywhere, all around me, something happened. Something that I didn't want to admit to myself. A small click in my mind felt like puzzle pieces fitting together. I knew I loved Edward more than I ever thought it would be possible to love someone, but something deep inside me was nagging at me. I could feel it tearing a whole in my heart.

I was in love with Jacob.

This was easy to admit now and I could no longer deny it. But how strong would this feeling be? Surely it wouldn't overtake the feelings I had for Edward…would it? I flinched a little. I _had_ to speak with Jacob tomorrow. End of story. This had to be sorted out immediately. I knew it made more sense in the long run to stay with Jacob and not Edward. There was so much of my human life I would miss and I could finally admit that now. And Jacob was, for the most part anyway, still human. The fit seemed natural; seemed right.

I turned my head slowly to look up at Edward who was still staring at me intently. But what about this other life that I knew I wanted so badly. To become a vampire; a Cullen. I loved my new family greatly and I wouldn't want to lose them either. But the loss of all the Cullens combined didn't feel like it would hold as much weight as the loss I would feel if I told Jacob goodbye. I flinched again at this sudden realization. Edward's grip tightened slightly on me.

"Are you alright, Bella?" His voice was silky smooth but his brow creased with worry.

"Fine," I mumbled half-heartedly.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're a terrible liar, you know." He smiled my favorite crooked smile.

I blushed and looked away again. "I know," I replied in a small voice.

"So what is it, then?" he pressed.

I could feel the solid lump beginning to form in my throat. I swallowed quickly trying to force it back down so I could find the breath to speak. "Do you think…that we…really belong together…forever?"

His face did the exact opposite of what I figured it would, and he smiled, amused almost. "You know how I feel about you, Bella. You are the reason for my existence now. But if you are having second thoughts about becoming one of my kind, I understand. I don't want you to make any rash decisions if you are feeling at least the slightest bit unsure."

He missed my point completely. Oh, well. It was probably better this way until I was able to speak with Jacob first. I sighed and nodded once, placing my cheek against his cold chest and closing my eyes. I opened my mouth to say something but closed it again immediately as Edward wrapped the quilt around me and placed his arms tenderly around my waist. He began humming my lullaby and I was out faster than I could find the strength to protest against my heavy eyelids.

**_Ok guys, so what do you think? Am I heading in the right direction or has this just been done far too often to be any good? Feedback appreciated! :)_**


	2. Chapter 2: Anxiety and Omelets

**_Presenting Chapter 2! I know it's a bit short and is lagging at getting to the good stuff that you are all waiting for, but please bear with me! Hope you all like it and it will be mildly satisfying until I can get some more of the exciting parts turned out._**

**_I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but I do not own Twilight or any of the characters. All belong to Stephenie Meyer._**

_Anxiety and Omelets_**_  
><em>**

Dull gray light came flooding through my window when it had only seemed like my eyes had been closed for a few minutes. I was, however, thankful that the morning had come quickly and my night, amazingly enough, had been devoid of nightmares. My heart began picking up its pace rapidly as the reason why I was thankful washed through my mind like a thousand gallons of oddly refreshing rain. There was only one reason I was in such a hurry to face this day.

Jacob.

I felt Edward squeeze me gently, quickly pulling me out of my mind's summer rain shower.

"Everything alright? Your heart sounds like it's just finished a seven mile jog."

I flushed in embarrassment. I was only so lucky that he couldn't read my thoughts…

"Fine," I insisted. "Really. Just excited to see how Jacob is doing. Still worried, you know me." I gave a faint laugh on the edge of hysteria. I knew he wouldn't buy it, but it hadn't been a complete lie either.

"Well we should get you some breakfast first. Charlie left about an hour ago, so it's safe for me to come downstairs with you if you'd like."

"That's a stupid option to give me. Of course I always want you with me, you know that."

I turned my head to look up at him, in time to see his perfect lips break into a gentle smile across his face. Before I knew what was happening, he had scooped me up into his arms and bolted out the door. We flew down the stairs and I was sitting upright in my usual spot at the kitchen table before I had the chance to blink again. I stared up at him in mild amazement. I wondered if I would ever fully get used to his actions.

"So what's for breakfast?" I asked him softly, gathering my thoughts.

He looked down at me confused and then he turned slightly, his eyes darting around the kitchen quickly. He finally spoke, "Omelet?"

"Sounds good to me," I beamed, surprised. I had imagined my question would be answered by his typical 'What would you like to eat?' question which would result in my automatic response of 'Don't worry about it, I got it' and settle on cold cereal like most mornings.

I watched as he bolted to the fridge and gathered the ingredients quickly, snatching a frying pan from the cupboard above his head just as fast and flipping the dial on the stove to 'Med-Hi' without even looking. I settled back into my chair and let my thoughts momentarily drown out all else.

There was no denying I was excited to see Jacob. That part was easy to admit. I would have been excited to see him regardless of what happened yesterday morning in the clearing. The hard part was that I knew my feelings for him had changed dramatically and I wasn't sure how exactly I should go about handling them while we were face to face. I no doubt would feel unbridled sympathy and sorrow for what had happened to him at my expense and my mouth would detach from my brain again, resulting in quick words spilling over my lips before I would have the full chance to process what I was saying beforehand. I knew if I wasn't careful, I would cause more pain for the both of us, and I didn't want that. Well at least not his pain anyway; I knew full well that whatever pain I suffered, I fully and completely deserved.

Then there was the issue of _what_ to say. This had to be thought out if I wanted to prevent myself from being caught up in my emotions at the time and saying something I would regret later. How could I explain how much that warm, eager, and loving kiss had meant to me yesterday? _Should_ I explain? Would that only cause more problems for everyone? Probably. I knew deep down I should just bite my stupid tongue about it and let it go. But there was that nagging part of me—growing ever so much stronger—that _wanted_ to tell him exactly how that brief moment made me feel. I felt like if all my cards were on the table, just as equally as he had laid his out, then we might be able to sort through this all and work out some compromise. I knew I was being selfish, but I couldn't imagine my world without Jacob in it. I _needed_ him there. Something had to work…anything…

I heaved a heavy sigh as I brought my attention back to the moment at hand. I glanced over at Edward—that perfect back to me, shirt stretched tight across the muscles there—as he flipped my omelet onto a plate on the counter and hurriedly placed it on the table in front of me. A fork magically appeared next to it.

He took a seat next to me and watched me attentively as I picked my fork up and jabbed at the heap of eggs before me. I shoveled a fork-full into my mouth, cringing slightly as it burned my tongue, but swallowed eagerly, much too hungry to care. I could taste the spicy sausage, the melted cheddar, and the smoky ham mixed in with the eggs. It felt good and was, of course, absolutely delicious. I looked at Edward out of the corner of my eye. Was there anything that this man couldn't do perfectly? I highly doubted that.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly into a small smile. "Did I do a good job?"

"Always," I spoke through another mouthful of burning eggs.

His smile broke wide, touching his eyes, as he quickly leaned over and brushed his lips against my cheek softly. He leaned back, taking in the expression on my face now, which I wasn't sure what it was. Some form of bewilderment which caused him to smirk.

"Do you want me to eat, or are you trying to distract me?"

He chuckled softly but said nothing more as I continued to chow down on my breakfast; contemplating how I would ever fully manage to face this day.

**_Reviews, as always, appreciated! (Though I know there isn't much to review here) :)_**


	3. Chapter 3: Decisions

**_It hasn't changed since yesterday, but I'll say it again: I do not own Twilight or any of these characters._**

_Decisions_

Time that morning seemed to escape me. Before I knew it, I was making my way down the curving road just outside of La Push. My heart began reacting irrationally as I paid closer attention to my familiar surroundings.

After I had eaten breakfast and hurriedly dressed, Edward, like I had assumed, had offered to drive me to the treaty line. I assured him that I was quite capable of doing that myself and suggested he go hunting with his brothers, as I was sure they were in need of a refresh after yesterday's battle. Fortunately enough, he seemed to agree that that was a reasonable idea.

I didn't bother pushing my already wheezing truck past 30. After all, as excited as I was to see Jacob, I felt in no particular hurry anymore. I still had no idea as to what I was going to say. My stomach full of eggs churned uncomfortably. I took my right hand off the steering wheel and wrapped my arm around my waist, trying to convince it to behave.

As I rounded the last bend, the Blacks' little red house came into view and my heart further picked up the pace. I felt my breaths catch hollow in my chest as I tried to calm myself and collect my thoughts. This sort of emotional response was absolutely insane! It was Jacob for crying out loud!

I rolled my truck to a stop outside the house and killed the engine. I glanced up just in time to meet Billy's gaze as he peered out the front room window from around the curtains. I looked into the rearview mirror at myself and took a deep, half-way calming breath.

Show time.

I hopped down out of the truck, slamming the door behind me as Billy opened the front door and rolled part way through the frame, weary smile on his face.

"Morning, Bella," he called to me.

"Good morning, Billy," I replied, flashing him an equally weak smile. "How's Jacob?"

"Better. More rested and not as drugged up as last night. He woke up about fifteen minutes or so ago."

"Is he up for visitors?"

"Sure, sure. Come on in." I walked through the threshold as Billy wheeled backwards a bit to make room. "He's still in bed. Doctor said he was to stay put until he gave the okay."

I nodded once in response and crossed the tiny living room to Jacob's bedroom door. I raised my fist to knock but Jacob called "Come in," before I could.

I slowly opened the door and stepped inside his closest sized room, closing it carefully behind me.

"How are you, Jake?" I looked over his body, covered by a thin sheet and didn't notice anything too terribly out of place.

"I've been better, I would say, but not complaining." Then he chuckled. "The stoned feeling I was having earlier has mostly worn off. Dr. Fang didn't know how much pain meds to give a werewolf and mostly guesstimated. Think he overdid it a bit." He shrugged.

"You look good, anyway," I complimented, trying to make him feel a bit better and also prevent him from bashing any of the other Cullens.

"You look better," he smiled and winked. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks slightly. "Don't be a stranger, come sit by me. I'm lonely."

I rolled my eyes at this response but followed his command. Crossing the tiny room, I sat on the floor at the head of his bed, for fear I would jostle him too much if I took a seat on the bed next to him. He looked over the edge and down at me.

"Everything alright, Bells?"

I didn't answer, just turned my face up to look into his deep brown eyes. We stared at each other for a minute before I finally spoke. "There was something I needed to talk to you about…" I let my voice trail off softly as I watched his reaction. It looked like someone had just hit him in the gut. The pain on his face caused my eyes to dart back to my criss-crossed legs on the floor in front of me.

"I figured as much. Just like graceful Bella to kick a guy when he's down." He gave a sarcastic grunt in attempt to lighten the pain in his voice. This was unbearable. "Well, alright then. Let me have it."

I looked back up at him but he was no longer looking at me. He was staring at the ceiling, looking as though he was using every ounce of his strength to remain composed. I took a deep breath, still not sure how to begin. Oh, well. What was the point of dipping my toes in the water when I could jump right in and get it over with?

"That kiss yesterday…" I began.

"I know it wasn't the same for you as it was for me. You don't have to explain that." His eyes tightened, like he was concentrating extra hard on choosing the right words.

"That's not what I was going to say, Jake." I looked back down at the floor again just as he snapped his head to look at me, confused.

"Then what _were_ you going to say?" I could feel an air of a raised eyebrow in his voice.

"I…" I thought for a brief second. What _was_ I going to say? How was I supposed to know? I hadn't gotten that far in my head yet.

"Yes?" he pressed on.

"I honestly don't know, Jake. This is all so confusing to me. It makes me feel even more like a cold hearted monster that deserved to die at the hands of Victoria yesterday." My voice was extremely small and feeble sounding. Jacob retaliated with a booming anger in his.

"Don't you dare say something like that to me, Bella! Not after what I went through to save your ass!" I cringed at the harshness in his words, but I knew it was well deserved. He gave himself half a minute to calm down, then he continued, "I'm sorry. Please go on."

"No apologies please. There's no need to."

"Fine." We sat in silence for several minutes before he let out a heavy sigh, his voice husky but smooth. "Bella? Please say something. The suspense is killing me. Just say what you have to say and then leave. Please. We both know where this is going. Please don't drag it out anymore than it has to be."

I got to my feet at that moment, standing over his bed. "No," I replied sharply. "We both don't know where this is going at all. Not even I do. I'm winging it. Just making it up as I go. Which scares me, but the feeling is so overpowering I can't help it right now. I'm being fair here, Jacob. Showing you my hand, as you've shown me yours."

He looked up at me extremely confused and lost in wonder. Before he had the chance to say anything, I found myself leaning closer to his face. His eyes widened, complete shock spreading across his face. I leaned further down, kissing his forehead…kissing his nose…kissing each cheek… I paused, just inches away from his hot lips. I could hear his heartbeat increase, mirroring mine. He exhaled gently in my face, causing a shiver to run up my spine as the warm breath caressed my flushed skin.

"Bella…" he breathed.

**_Ok, ok, so I know I left you all hanging again, but suspense is always fun, right? :-D Promise I'll have the next bit up very quickly! Let me know what you think. As always, reviews are more than welcome!_**


	4. Chapter 4: Resolve

**_Again, I do not own Twilight or any of these characters.** Just the fun situations ;)**_**

_Resolve_

Before I knew what had happened, Jacob reached up with his good, left arm and wrapped it around my waist, pulling me roughly down against his side and smashing my lips against his waiting mouth. That odd sensation of heat swept through my entire being just like it had yesterday. I saw the vision of the two bobbing black-haired children run across my eyelids, clearer this time. I pressed my mouth urgently against his warm and now somewhat familiar lips, breathing in his scent and letting his presence engulf me. He tightened his grip around my waist, pressing me tighter against his body, heat radiating through the thin sheet.

I reached up with my left hand and found his hair, entwining my fingers in it and securing his fiery lips to mine. He worked his mouth a little against mine, managing to part my lips slightly. I shivered again as his warm tongue traced the contours of my quivering bottom lip. Without thinking, I timidly poked my tongue forward to meet with the tip of his. It felt like he shivered slightly under me; probably thrown further off by my unexpected reaction. He ran his left hand up my back quickly, finding the nape of my neck and running his fingers through the hair there, weaving it through and balling his hand into a fist, securing it there. As he did this, I felt him slowly—carefully—slip his tongue into the front of my mouth, tracing along my teeth.

This caused another involuntary shiver to run up my spine, but I responded by running my tongue along the length of his, twisting it slightly. He tightened his grip in my hair, but only to slowly and unwillingly pull my head away.

"Bella," he breathed again, heart still racing. "What are you doing?"

I flushed a bright red as the blood flew through my cheeks. "I—I'm sorry," I stuttered, looking away and letting my hand fall from his hair, though still unable to move my head from his grip. "I thought you would…like it." I continued to blush furiously, more embarrassed than ever and just wanting to leave. Damn my brain for detaching itself from my body and flooding me with irrationality.

"Like it?" Jacob questioned, amused. "I _loved_ it! Are you kidding me! That was the best kiss ever!" I let my gaze meet with his again and there I saw, behind his eyes, my sunshine in him. As he let his smile spread wide, I found it to be so infectious that I couldn't help but smile back. "That's not what I meant though," he continued as his smile faded.

I let my face drop in response. "What did you mean then?"

"I meant your _bloodsucker_," he scowled as I grimaced. "What about him? Do you know what you are doing? You didn't ask me to kiss you, I just assumed that's what you were waiting for. I don't particularly care to have him break my face right now. Got enough to worry 'bout healing here." He nodded towards his broken body.

"I know, Jake. I didn't ask you to, but that _was_ what I was waiting for," I responded in a small voice. "And I'm…glad you took the initiative."

He beamed again.

"So am I, so am I," he laughed. "I guess that's a better goodbye than I could've hoped for."

My breath caught in my throat again. "Goodbye?"

"Yes," he replied, looking down at me confused. "Isn't that why you came here today? To tell me goodbye and then run back to your _loving_ leech?" He spoke the second question like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"No," was all I managed to choke out.

"What?" Jacob's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I don't know, Jake. I told you, I'm so confused."

"Confused about what, Bells?" He finally unwound his fingers from my hair and stroked it instead. I responded my pressing my cheek against his strong chest.

"About my…" I thought for a moment, sorting through to the right word, finally settling on, "…feelings."

"Feelings about?" he pressed on.

"About…you," my voice grew even smaller as I uttered this confession.

He squeezed me tighter to him, heart rate picking up a little again beneath my ear. "Please explain, Bella."

"Okay, I'll try," I promised. I took a deep breath to calm myself and failed, but continued anyway. "That kiss yesterday…it was… I don't even know the right word for it. It took me by surprise. It made me realize the one thing I've been constantly pushing to the back of mind. And I know now—I can admit this now—that I'm in love with you, Jacob." I traced patterns on his bare upper chest, just above the hem of the sheet, with my forefinger as I said this. These words resulted in him dropping his hand to my back and pressing me tightly against his side; attempting a half-hug, I assumed.

"I told you so," he laughed. "But stubborn you never believes the wise wolf."

"I know, I know," I uttered feebly.

Another pause.

"So…what are you saying, Bella?" Jacob tried to keep his voice casual, but I could hear the edge of hope in it. It gave me the strength to continue.

"I'm saying…I'm not sure…" I stalled for a moment, taking the time to mentally prepare myself to actually utter the words I was forming in my mind. "…if I can stay with…_Edward_," I forced myself to say through a flinch, "when I know how I feel about you. After seeing my possible future with you flash before my eyes. Something I know I _want_ without a doubt now. You and I…that fit seems so much more natural to me now than it did before. It seems right. I don't think I can walk away from you today without knowing that you'll be by my side from now on. …My proud russet colored wolf, standing protector beside me. I _want_ that."

"You can _have_ that and so much more, Bells." His sudden enthusiasm caused me to turn my head upward to meet his eyes, which were now shimmering with unconcealed hope. "You know I've always loved you. That's not going to change. I will always stay by your side and forever protect you when you need it. Which, knowing you, will be quite often." I rolled my eyes as he laughed.

"Always? Are you sure?" I questioned. "What if you imprint on someone?" But even as I spoke the words, something deep down inside me seemed to have the answer. That wouldn't happen and I could feel it. It might have…in _another_ life that was now very far out of reach…

"Then I'll tell her to get lost and leave me be with my wolf girl." He winked at me as he said this. I smiled back and he leaned down to kiss my forehead. We were quiet for a moment. Then he finally spoke, "Does this mean you'll stay with me? That you'll stay with me and be human? You'll leave your vampire…for me?"

I swallowed the new lump forming in my throat. Could I really leave Edward? Forever? Just like that? Without looking back? I was so sure of that future with him. I had wanted to become a vampire to stay with him forever, but now this over-powering need to stay with Jacob was calling to me and pulling me away from my non-human path. I was so blinded by irrationality before, just to stay with him, that I was actually going to give up everything else I held dear. Maybe I could still see the Cullens. Still have forced shopping outings with Alice. Still have bickering battles with Emmet over my klutziness. Still be _friends_ with Edward. Jacob would allow that, wouldn't he? And Edward could settle for that, couldn't he? It would all be so different though…was it worth it? Could I do it?

I locked my eyes with Jacob's deep brown saucers, hope slowly fading away as he took in the expression in my face. I tried to quickly compose myself so I wouldn't hurt him when he shouldn't be hurting at all. I looked deeper into his eyes and saw our future together, and there I found the sure answer that I slowly felt spilling over my lips with the utmost certainty. "Yes," I breathed.

His smile, unlike anything I had seen before, stretched from ear-to-ear as he bore his entire toothy grin at me. I felt the heat of the sun radiating off his face as he processed what had just happened; my vow to stay with him…forever. Or, more accurately, for as long as my human life allowed. I suddenly was overwhelmed with happiness at the thought of this and smiled widely back.

Before I processed his actions, he had flung me forcefully on top of him so my legs were on either side of his stomach, straddling him. He still had his arm wrapped tightly around me, pressing me down against his hotter than usual body. I gasped in surprise and also concern.

"Jacob, what are you doing? I don't want to hurt you." I was immediately worried about the broken right side of his body and the pressure my one hundred and ten pounds was putting on him.

"S'okay," he said, shrugging. "My ribs have almost healed completely. You're not hurting anything as long as you don't knee me." He laughed at this. "Not that you would have the strength to really do any further damage anyway."

I narrowed my eyes at him as a small and very weak sounding growl emitted from my throat. He laughed again, louder this time.

"I wouldn't growl at a wolf if I were you, Miss Swan," he smirked menacingly. "I just might attack unexpectedly."

I opened my mouth to protest this hollow threat, but instead let another gasp—almost a half-moan—escape from my lips as he made good on his word and snapped his head forward, lightning fast, clenching the side of my throat playfully between his perfectly straight teeth. I in turn closed my eyes and clenched my teeth as I let a sharp breath pass between them. My hands, that had fallen onto his shoulders as he pulled me on top of him, gripped them roughly as the sensation of his bite swept through me, making every nerve ending tingle. This was something I could never do with Edward, not unless I wanted the end result to be me writhing in excruciating pain for three or more days as the venom took hold. …This was something I _definitely_ liked.

He released his grip on my neck, replacing his teeth with his lips and started kissing down the side of my neck to the hollow at the base of my throat. He held his lips there momentarily as I continued to breathe shaky breaths. He slowly kissed his way back up the other side, pausing to take a soft bite at the skin there, mirroring the mark he had left on the opposite side. And this time, I did moan—weakly—which seemed to please him. As a result, he worked his teeth around a little, releasing the skin and then biting down harder with unexpected enthusiasm. I gasped at this and listened as another agonized moan escaped from my lips that I didn't know I had in me. He removed his teeth, but continued to kiss a few more lip-lengths until he reached my right ear. He bore his teeth a little again, grazing my earlobe, and exhaled his hot breath against my ear. This caused another involuntary shiver to shake through me.

I kept my eyes closed, trying to steady my breathing. He kept his warm mouth to my ear and whispered softly, "You should learn to bite your tongue a little. What would my dad think if he heard that?" He chuckled softly as the blood rushed through me and my cheek burned red with embarrassment against his already hot face. He continued to exhale against my flushing ear a few times while I focused on recovering my heartbeat and remaining in the moment. His sudden soft kiss on the top of my ear helped to calm me a little. Finally he spoke in another whisper, "I love you forever, Isabella Swan."

I smiled immediately at this, all embarrassment washing away and whispered back, "I love you forever, Jacob Black."

He hugged me tighter to his flaming body as he pulled his head back to rest on the pillow again and we locked eyes. I'm not sure how long we stayed like this looking at each other, but as a bead of sweat dripped down my brow and rolled painfully into my eye, I decided it was time I remove myself from his perfectly muscled frame. He let me go without a fuss as I rolled off to sit on the bed beside him, taking his hand in mine.

"I'm definitely _not_ looking forward to this next part," I groaned.

"Next part?" he questioned, slightly confused.

"Telling Edward the news, I mean."

A smirk spread across Jacob's lips. "Well, I could just shred him to bits, and you wouldn't have to worry about that part."

A hysterical laugh broke free from my lips. "Very funny, Jacob. But I would much prefer if everyone stayed fully intact through this."

He smoothed the skin on the back of my hand calmly. "It's okay, Bella. Don't worry about that bloodsucker. I'll talk to him, straight up man-to-demon."

I rolled my eyes but stated firmly, "No. This is something I have to do. I need to give him at least that much."

"Well, at least let me be with you when you tell him. In case he loses his temper, that is. I need to protect you. No way you could fight that undead leech." The corners of his mouth turned down into a frown.

"I'll be okay, Jake, really. He won't hurt me."

Deep concern washed through his soft brown eyes. "_Please_, Bella? I don't think he'll remain as calm and collected as you think he will once you tell him you're leaving him for a werewolf."

"You underestimate his level headedness." I locked eyes firmly with him.

"You overestimate his level of patience." He squeezed my hand gently. "I know you're stubborn, but there's no use arguing with me here, understand?"

"Jake," I moaned in complaint. "You're being ridiculous."

"_You're_ being ridiculous," he snapped. "If you think for one minute I'm going to let you out of my sight when you confront that spawn of Satan, you're out of your mind!"

"Okay, fine," I growled. "You can watch from a distance. I don't want you right next to me when I'm telling him. It will only make it more complicated and stress me out."

He stared at me for a long moment, ascertaining my seriousness on the matter. He finally uttered below his breath, "Stubborn as a mule," but looked away. I knew I had one this battle and smiled.

I sighed deeply.

Now, for more pressing issues.

**_R&R! Always appreciated! Hope it was decent. :)_**


End file.
